There aren't too many places I'd rather be
right now than in Tampa, Florida. I can almost smell the salty surf, feel the warm sun, and see the pelicans soaring. And,
oh yeah, hear the Super Bowl crowds cheering. But I'm stuck in a much colder and drearier place, so I'll have to make do with
eating like the fans of the two teams heading south for this year's Super Bowl.

The Menu

This is the one party in the year when you should definitely
not plan a sit-down meal. This is a casual event where a lot of the activity will be focused around the television. Whether
they're watching the game, laughing at the commercials, waiting for a replay, or listening to a commentator, your guests will
want finger food that can be eaten away from the table.

Sausage-Cheese Balls

These little appetizers make a big hit with any crowd. They
continue to be one of our most-requested recipes!

Do-Ahead Tip Want to make these savory cheese balls ahead? Your
options are many! You can:

Cover and refrigerate unbaked balls up to 24 hours. Bake as directed.

Cover and freeze unbaked balls up to 1 month. Heat oven to 350ºF. Place
frozen balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brown.

Bake as directed; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Heat oven to 350ºF.
Place frozen balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until heated through.

Bake as directed; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Place 6 frozen balls
on microwavable plate. Loosely cover with waxed paper. Microwave on High 45 seconds to 1 minute or until heated through.

Success
It's true. You don't need to cook the sausage before using it when making this recipe.

Caribbean Island Lime Shrimp

Instead of paying big bucks for that name-brand lime shrimp
in the freezer case, it's easy to make your own at home with a simple marinade and a flash in the pan. Great served over white
rice. This dish is also good as a room temperature appetizer for parties.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil
to hot pan and swirl to coat. Remove shrimp from marinade, reserving marinade, and place in a single layer in the hot pan.
Cook for 1 minute, then flip the shrimp to the other side.

Do not overcook the shrimp or it will become rubbery. Add the reserved
marinade to the pan. Cook 1 minute, then remove shrimp and keep warm. Continue cooking the marinade until it reduces to a
thin sauce. Turn off heat, return the shrimp to the pan, and toss in the sauce.

Serve Caribbean Island Lime Shrimp over white rice. This dish is also
good as a room temperature appetizer for parties.

Note: If you do not normally stock tequila and/or Triple Sec at home,
simply pick up the mini single serving bottles. This recipe will use about half of a mini bottle of each. If you cannot consume
alcohol, simply leave them out.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large saute pan, over
medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the peppers.
Season with salt and pepper. Continue to saute for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add the sausage and
render for 4 to 6 minutes.

Remove and drain on paper towels.

Divide the dough in half and roll into a 14-inch circle, about
1/2-inch thick. Press the dough into 2 greased 12-inch deep-dish pizza pans. Sprinkle each pizza with 6 ounces of the grated
cheese. Spoon 1/2 of the onion and pepper mixture over each pizza. Sprinkle 1/2 of the sausage over the onion mixture on each
pizza. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the top of each pizza. Sprinkle each pizza with 1 tablespoon of oregano.

Bake the pizzas for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove the pizza from the oven and cut into individual servings.

Measure out 1 3/4 cups warm water (it should be pleasantly warm on your
wrist). Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and allow it to activate, about 10 minutes.

Put the salt and 2 cups of the flour into a food processor. Pulse 5 times
to blend. Pour in the yeast and water and pulse 5 times. Add the olive oil. Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time, pulsing
and scraping the sides of the bowl until well blended. As soon as the mixture is combined, dump it out onto a well-floured
board and knead for 15 turns, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover with
plastic wrap or a tea towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size, then punch
it down. Divide it in half; each half will make 1 (12-inch) pizza.

Place on a cornmeal-dusted pizza stone, pizza pan, or cookie sheet. Roll
up edge slightly to create a ridge around the pizza. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until crust is light brown.

Cook's Note: If using only half dough, freeze the other half. Place the
dough in a resealable freezer bag. To thaw, remove the bag from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Roll
the dough out while cold then allow it to come to room temperature before adding toppings

Chicago Hot Dogs

The famous Chicago Dog is known the best hot dog in the world.
If you really want to get it right, choose a good sausage and load it up as high as you can get.

Preparation:Cut tomatoes into thin slices, then cut in half
to make half circles. Grill hot dogs over a medium high heat until browned, about 4 minutes, turning occasionally. Open hot
dog buns and grill for 1 minute cut side down.

Assemble dogs by placing 2 slices of tomato on the bun, then the
hot dog, and then the peppers. Now top with mustard, onions and relish. Sprinkle on some celery salt and you have a real Chicago
Hot Dog.

While the folks down in Florida will be watching the game
in short sleeves, the rest of us will be bundled up in sweaters. Which is why cooking ribs for the game in a slow cooker is
so much better than freezing outside by your grill.

Cook ground beef in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add all ingredients but the
cheddar cheese and chips to the pot and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.

While it is simmering, pour the chips into a casserole dish. Spread hot mixture
over the chips; sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top and put in the oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned.
Nacho delight recipe serves 4.

Football Field Cake

This fun cake will be the focal point of your dessert table
at your next football party whether it's for a child's birthday, the NFL playoffs, or the Super Bowl. This cake uses green
tinted coconut for the grass, but you could use vanilla frosting that has been tinted green if you know your guests aren't
fans of coconut.

You will need:

1 13" x 9" sheet cake that has been frosted chocolate (my preference)
or vanilla. 7 oz. shredded, sweetened coconut that has been tinted by shaking in a plastic bag with 1 teaspoon green food
gel 1 pretzel rod divided in two parts 4 short pretzel sticks, 2 of which have been divided in half 1 cup white
chocolate chips 1 can white decorator frosting Assorted football cake decorations such as footballs, plastic players,
team flags

Make Goal Posts

Place 12" square piece of wax or parchment paper on cookie sheet.

Place chocolate chips into microwave safe bowl. Melt at 50% power for
1 minute. Stir. Continue heating at 50% power for 30 seconds each time until smooth consistency is reached.

Dip pretzels into melted chocolate, tapping off excess. Place on prepared
paper and form into goal post shapes.

Once goal posts have been made, transfer cookie sheet into refrigerator
to chill.

Evenly spread coconut over top of cake, reserving 1/2 cup for touch-ups
as needed.

Draw lines with decorator frosting on field to create yardage markings
and end zone.

Insert pretzel field goals into end zones.

Finish with cake toppings. In this illustration a football was created
using melted dark chocolate that was formed into a football shape. Laces were created using white frosting.